Delap Back in Action as The Blues Look to Address Forward Concerns
Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a important period for Chelsea.
The Blues were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "subpar".
Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the summer signing's availability is crucial for a team facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of claiming silverware this season.
Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro
Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for a £30 million fee despite interest from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.
Yet the young English striker was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazil striker scored another two and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after moving from the Seagulls.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".
When asked about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the fitness aspect is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, particularly in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."
Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack
Chelsea face additional challenges apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.
Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until the winter.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last term, is still to score this season. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but prior to that scored only once in the first 10 games.
After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last term."
Maresca has found ways to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this season.
Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?
Some Chelsea fans think the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since recently, and squad members who sported it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
- Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
- Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 games
- Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
- Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
- Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
- Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
- Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
- Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
- Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches
A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.
But Delap was unfazed when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.
"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a number that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."
